


Unfortunate Occurance

by xXPokeFictionXx_Is_A_Horrible_Username



Series: Soudam Week 2018 Continuations [3]
Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Demonic Possession, Demons, Existential Crisis, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Rituals, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 05:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21265964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXPokeFictionXx_Is_A_Horrible_Username/pseuds/xXPokeFictionXx_Is_A_Horrible_Username
Summary: Sonia and Gundham accidentally summon a demon. He's pretty normal, sadly enough. But when they try to correct this mistake, they discover that he can't actually leave. So, stuck with the pink-haired ball of neon energy, they attempt to continue living their everyday lives. Yet the demon seems determined to get their souls nonetheless.(Loosely inspired by Welcome To Hell.)(A continuation of my previous work from Soudam Week 2018.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter's gonna be the same as the Soudam Week version, so if you've already seen that, feel free to skip this one I guess!

Gundham and Sonia were chanting their usual dark rituals in Gundham’s room when it happened.

Their ritual was coming to a conclusion, and, as usual, they didn’t expect much to happen. Nothing ever did, so far. It took time and patience to get into contact with a demon. But, when Gundham chanted the final words of the ceremony, something amazing occurred.

The summoning circle on the floor lit up with a brilliant bright blue color.

Sonia gasped. Gundham looked shocked, but didn’t say anything.

A glowing mass slowly formed, rising above the circle and growing. Sonia grinned brightly, looking incredibly excited. Gundham remained silent, merely staring at the mass with wide eyes.

Soon, the mass began to take form. It was soon apparent that it was taking the shape of a human silhouette, only with horns and a tail. More features began to form in, before suddenly, the light vanished, leaving only the silhouette it was forming in its place.

A demon.

Sonia gasped again, looking to it with wide, sparkling eyes. Gundham was also starting to look a bit excited. The two took in the demon’s appearance.

The demon had two long horns, and a tail, firstly. They were both deep red in color, and both the horns and the tail were thin. They didn’t remain as the center of attention for long. The next thing that the two took in was the demon’s bright pink hair, and yellow jumpsuit.

It wasn’t exactly the way they’d expect a demon to dress. But, nevertheless, they were excited

But… The demon was also small. He was shorter than Gundham, which was acceptable since Gundham was very tall, but he was also a bit shorter than Sonia. And other than his horns and tail, he just looked like a normal guy, someone just about their age.

It… certainly wasn’t how they expected a demon to look, to say the least.

Nevertheless, they were still pretty excited about it.

“Oh my goodness!” Sonia squealed. The demon turned to look at her, looking slightly confused. “We did it!”

“It appears we have.” Gundham responded breathlessly, still in shock.

“Oh, uh, hi!” The demon greeted them. His voice wasn’t deep or scary, like most would have expected, but rather, the voice of a normal guy, maybe a bit high pitched. “Why am I here?”

“Well, we summoned you!” Sonia chirped.

“Uh, yeah, I know that. But why did you summon me?” He asked.

The two paused. They hadn’t meant to actually summon a demon, actually. They only meant to get into contact with one, but instead, one had appeared.

“Well,” Gundham began, “It appears that our ritual has gone awry. We merely meant to commune with your hellspawn brethren, however, it seems that you have been summoned from the fiery underworld to meet us instead.”

The demon blinked. “Uh, sorry, what? Why are you talking like that?”

Sonia snorted, bursting out in a fit of giggles. Gundham stared at the demon with wide eyes. Did the demon… really not understand how he was speaking? He’d expected demons to understand the way he talked, hell, he’d expected them to talk the same way! This was troubling.

“I’m sorry! Did I say something wrong?!” The demon asked, seemingly panicking at Gundham’s reaction.

“Wha- Why are you apologizing?! You are borne from the fires of hell, why are you apologizing to the likes of us?!” Gundham exclaimed.

“I-I don’t know! I don’t want to make you guys upset!” The demon responded, cowering.

“You’re a demon!” Sonia wheezed, laughing harder. “Why are you worried about offending us?”

“I don’t know! I have no reason to make you guys angry, I don’t even know you! I’m sorry, I’m new to this!” The shortest in the room responded.

“You are? Hm... I suppose your behaviour makes some degree of sense then. But why would your superiors allow you out Pandemonium and into this mortal coil if you are so inexperienced?” Gundham murmured, trying to make sense of everything that was happening.

“What?” The demon asked. Sonia wheezed harder. Gundham looked appalled.

“He’s wondering why you were able to be summoned if you’re so new to this.” Sonia translated.

“Oh! Well, um, I don’t know?” The shortest in the room responded.

Gundham looked incredibly confused, almost more so than the demon. Sonia tried her best to keep her composure, but failed, continuing to cackle.

“Do you know why it is that you were able to be summoned on this day, while every other time we have attempted this it has failed?” Gundham asked. The demon looked apologetic, not even responding this time.

Sonia tried her best to calm herself down, but couldn’t.

“H-Hold on a moment, I must- I need to go get- oh my goodness!” Sonia was barely able to get the words out in between her chucking, and left the room.

Gundham and the demon were left alone.

The shorter of the two shifted awkwardly, fiddling with his hands. He looked very nervous, strangely enough. Gundham, on the other hand, was in disbelief, looking a bit like all of his dreams were being crushed.

The two stood there in silence.

“So. How is it that you left this mortal coil?” Gundham asked, still curious about the demon despite how disappointingly normal he’d seemed so far.

“Are… Are you asking how I died?” He asked, in fear of misunderstanding the question.

Gundham sighed. “Yes.”

“Oh, well, I was, uh… I was hit by a car.” The demon recounted. “Guy came outta nowhere. It was over before I even knew what was happening.”

Gundam paused. “I… I’m sorry that causality willed your passing to come so early.”

The demon paused, tensing up and shifting awkwardly, tail swishing behind him. Gundham sighed.

“You do not understand what I mean by that, do you?” He asked, despite already knowing the answer. The demon nodded, looking uncomfortable. Gundham sighed again.

“It does not matter. How long are you going to remain here?” He asked. The demon looked to him, understanding this question.

“I need to stay here until I fulfill whatever task you guys give me!” He chirped.

“But… we did not provide you with a task?” Gundham questioned. The demon paused.

“Uh. Well. Hmm.” The shorter of the two stopped to think for a moment. “I… Well shit, I don’t know. I guess I need to stay here until you give me a task, then?”

Gundham sighed.

“Sorry.” The demon apologized, looking a bit guilty.

“There is no need to apologize. I suppose you may do what you wish until the Dark Queen returns, then. Feel free to look around if you desire to.” He muttered. The shorter of the two perked up, curious to explore the area.

Gundham remained silent, watching as the demon floated around, exploring curiously. He eventually made his way over to Gundham’s curtains, and tried to open them up to look outside. However, when he touched them, his hand merely phased through. The shorter of the two looked disappointed.

Gundham noticed this, and stood up. He walked over to the demon, standing beside him. The demon looked to him curiously. The breeder opened up the curtain.

“Oh, thanks!” The demon chirped, looking out of the window with curious, pink eyes. The city outside of Hope’s Peak Academy was bustling with life.

“Wait a minute…” He muttered, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. Suddenly, his face lit up in recognition. “I recognize this street!”

Gundham blinked. “You do?” He asked.

“Yeah!” The demon chirped. “I used to go out down there all the time! There’s some really cool things on that street, like, there’s this store that-”

The demon was cut off by the door opening. Sonia walked in, leading someone inside behind her.

It was none other than Hajime Hinata.

“See, look!” She exclaimed, gesturing to the demon. Hajime looked to him, and his eyes widened, seeing the floating boy. The shortest in the room gave an awkward wave.

“Oh my god, you two actually summoned a demon?!” Hajime asked in absolute disbelief. Sonia smiled. “Mhm!”

“How did you- wait.” He muttered, looking at the demon closer. The demon tilted his head a bit, looking a bit confused.

“I recognize you!” Hajime gasped. The demon’s eyes widened. “You do?!”

“Yeah! You were a student here!” The brunette exclaimed, pointing to the demon with a look of shock and disbelief on his face.

“I was?! Wait, is this Hope’s Peak?!” The shortest in the room gasped. “Yes!” Hajime cried out.

Sonia and Gundham watched the display with wide eyes. The demon… was a student here? How? And why didn’t they recognize him?

“Wait! You died?!” Hajime cried out, going pale.

“I- yeah! I guess news hasn’t gotten out yet, huh?” The demon responded, averting his eyes from Hajime with a nervous look on his face.

“Wha- how?! You were a student at Hope’s Peak, that should’ve been over the news!”

“Well, uh…” The demon’s trailed off, fiddling with his hands. “I may have died a bit more recently than I lead you guys to believe…”

“How recently?” Gundham asked. The demon tensed up, tail curling around his leg anxiously.

“... This afternoon.” The demon replied.

“WHAT?!” Hajime cried out. “O-Oh my!” Sonia squeaked, looking a bit horrified.

Gundham remained silent, eyes wide.

“I-I got hit by a car, a few blocks away from here.” The demon explained.

“Wait! I-Is that why our ritual worked today?!” Sonia asked, looking sick to her stomach.

The demon said nothing.

“Who… Who are you?” Gundham asked, trying to remain calm. The demon looked to him, sadness and guilt swirling in his eyes.

“My… My name is Kazuichi Souda.”


	2. Possesions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazuichi tries to figure out what he's supposed to do now that he's stuck in the overworld. Pestering ensues.

Of all the things Kazuichi Souda had experienced in his life, this was DEFINITELY the strangest. Then again, this wasn’t really part of his life anymore, was it? He wasn’t really alive, was he? After all, an hour ago he’d woken up in what seemed to be hell. 

At first, he’d been COMPLETELY terrified, of course. Who wouldn’t be? I mean, what the hell are you supposed to think when you suddenly wake up surrounded by brimstone and fire?! But soon, he’d learned that he wasn’t sent there to suffer eternal damnation or whatever it is all the bad people are subjected to.

No, instead, he’d received an offer. 

If he wanted to live his afterlife freely and  _ without _ neverending torment, he’d need to bring back a soul. It didn’t matter WHO’S soul, really, but if he managed to convince someone to sign a pact to surrender themselves to him, he’d be set forever. Or at least for a long while.

He didn’t know what would happen to whoever he took back to the underworld with him. Frankly, he didn’t want to think about it. 

As a newly transformed demon, his powers weren’t very strong. The way to grow stronger, supposedly, was to bring back more souls. He guessed that was incentive to keep at his job after he was freed, but he’d never really cared about power all that much. He’d rather be respected because of his abilities rather than brute force, in truth. 

  
Despite his limited power, though, he was expected to be able to grant someone’s wishes. Since he was a beginner, he’d been told that he’d be sent to a weaker ritual site, since that would be “less grating on him”. And, without much further explanation, he’d felt his new body beginning to warp.

This was, of course, a lot of information to take in for someone who’d been hit by a car less than an hour ago. 

The pink haired demon was feeling things he never had before. A terror, a dread, a sinking feeling deeper and more sickening than he ever could’ve imagined. The fluttering of a small pair of bat-like wings at his back, the flicking of a thin tail. An ache across his body like a bruise, where he’d been struck. 

The feeling of not having a heartbeat. 

It didn’t seem comprehensible to him, to not feel his heart. It wasn’t something he was really aware of before. When he’d been embarrassed, or angry, or when he’d run, he’d feel his heart pounding at his chest. Now though? He barely felt it at all. It only managed a few weak beats, a fleeting moment of being human when he’d first woken up. When he was feeling the worst fear of his life, he’d felt a weak thudding. 

Now, he wasn’t feeling as afraid. Now, his heartbeat was gone. 

His chest felt devoid of life, devoid of substance, as did the rest of him. All he could feel was the sickening fear, but the gentle twitching of organs he’d never been aware of was absent. 

His body heat, too, had gone away. He never realized how much he’d taken it for granted. Everything around him felt so devoid of warmth, so cold. Even surrounded by the flames of the underworld, he didn’t feel warm anymore. 

He wondered if getting demon powers would bring his heartbeat back, bring back his life. After all, the senior demon who’d explained this to him seemed far more lively than he was feeling now. Maybe it’d be worth getting those souls for, if that was the case. Now, though, it didn’t matter. He had to get the first soul before he could even  _ conside _ r more. 

As much as he didn’t want to subject another person to whatever went on in this place, he was far too afraid of what would happen if he declined. 

So, as he felt his form reemerging from the light he’d been folded into, he tried to stay focused. He had to complete this task. The rest of his eternity depended on it.

He had no idea what kind of people would be trying to summon demons in the middle of the day. He didn’t WANT to know. But still, when he’d opened his contact-covered eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised at what he saw. 

A room. A normal looking school dormitory, similar to his own, decorated with various symbols of the occult and dark, slightly transparent window curtains. Below where he was floating (how was he doing that?!), a small, simple looking circle lay, drawn in a powdery blue substance. 

And in front of him were two cloaked figures. One looked surprised, and had multicolored eyes and dark hair. The other was beaming, with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. 

The former looked more as though he belonged in such a setting, but the latter looked almost entirely out of place, holding an innocent and cheery demeanor. 

  
Still, Kazuichi wasn’t sure what, exactly, he HAD expected. Cultists? Some lonely, sleepless-looking creep? Drunk college kids?    
  
Nevertheless, the most shocking thing about them in Kazuichi’s books was the absolute surprise in their eyes. As if they hadn't expected him to appear at all.

And as it turned out, they hadn't. 

He learned quickly from the tall boy that this was only supposed to be a communication ritual, and not a summoning one. And thus, they had no wishes of him; There were no requests to fill.

Kazuichi… Had _ NO _ idea how to deal with that.

  
He couldn’t go back to hell. He’d been summoned. If he came back empty-handed, he’d be doomed. But… There wasn’t anything to  _ DO _ here.

  
So, he had no choice. He’d just have to wait. Wait until maybe they decided to give him something to do…

… The tall one didn’t seem to eager to do so. 

Gundham, as he’d learned the other boy’s name was, seemed to know a fair bit about demons, and certainly seemed to know not to give up his soul to one. He even claimed himself to be part-demon, saying that if Kazuichi even TRIED anything he’d be forced to take “drastic measures”... 

Kazuichi wasn’t sure he believed that, but nevertheless, he felt intimidated. It seemed Gundham’s soul was a no-go. 

  
The girl, Sonia, seemed to find him very interesting. However, she seemed completely against the idea of giving him a task, even going as far as not to even ask favors of him. If he asked if she needed anything, she’d outright decline without a thought. It wasn’t like he could just TAKE her soul if she didn’t explicitly agree to it!… COULD he?   
  
Either way, she was also completely unwilling to give him a proper assignment.   
  
So… He was stuck.

  
This, of course, was a HUGE problem.

He was a demon now! He couldn’t just go out into the streets anymore! What if someone saw him?! Where would he go now?! What was he supposed to do about this?!   
  
It took a long night of crying and trying to figure out how being a demon worked to come up with a plan. Even if they didn’t want to give away their souls NOW, that didn’t mean they NEVER would, right? So, he’d decided he had no choice. He’d just need to convince them.

But as he’d learned from the brunette kid Sonia had ended up bringing in, Hajime, he was apparently visible to the outside world. That was a problem in itself. If he went out like this, people would call an exorcist on him! And he doubted that his new “friends” would be all too sympathetic towards him now that he was a creature of the underworld… 

But luckily enough, he’d soon figured out that despite his currently-weak form, he COULD turn invisible. It was a bit tricky, but as long as no one startled him out of it, he could focus hard enough to appear as nothing more than a shadow in the corner of someone’s eye. Not entirely ideal, but it was close enough.

  
Thus began a routine. He’d go through the school day with either Sonia or Gundham (oftentimes both, as they’d shared a lot of classes) and attempt to bug them into giving up their souls. 

It wasn’t a sound plan, obviously. That much he knew. I mean,  _ annoying someone so much that they’d give up their mortal being to get you to stop? _ That was a stretch, even for him.

  
But what other choice did he have?   
  
So, without another option, he’d spend the days by the sides of one of his companions, and spend the nights in his now-abandoned dorm.

  
It… Hurt, being there. Seeing his old tools, his old projects, little gadgets he’d never get to unveil to the world… Every day was a painstaking reminder of what he’d lost.    
  
But he had nowhere else to go. So, it was at the dormitory he’d stayed.

  
As he’d expected, news of his demise spread quickly. After all, he WAS an Ultimate Student.

The loss of The Ultimate Mechanic, or at least the loss of the Ultimate Mechanic’s  _ talent _ , spread a deep sense of mourning across the nation. Within the walls of Hope’s Peak, things seemed just a bit dimmer. People seemed sadder, even those Kazuichi was certain he never really knew. 

The only ones who didn’t seem to be feeling his loss were Gundham and Sonia. But, well, they hadn’t really lost him. But with what he was trying to convince them to do, he wouldn’t be surprised if they wished they had. 

Nevertheless, they treated him with a surprising amount of respect. It would’ve been far too easy for them to be rude, or angry, or hurl insults at him. After all, he was a demon. Scum coming straight from the underworld. But instead, they tried to be as kind to them as they could, merely ignoring him at worse. 

Sure, the occasional snide comment was made, and okay,  _ maybe  _ Sonia was starting to get really irritated by his antics, but in all honesty, the pair still treated him far better than he’d expected. And that was enough, for now at least. 

But as time went on, it got harder and harder to try and stick to his original plan. After all, how COULD he when they were so…  _ Nice _ to him?    
  
Nevertheless, he tried. Even if after a while he began to stop believing in the ideas he tried to spread, he still kept up with his plan.   
  
After all, what else could he do? 

  
So, without another choice, Kazuichi continued to try.   
  
  


**…**

  
  


“Hey Gundham!” A familiar, high-pitched voice called. The Lord Of Ice only sighed to himself, not turning to face who he’d known had approached. Still, he murmured a low greeting into the air.

  
“Hello, Kazuichi.” His low voice replied, careful not to draw any attention from the crowd of students around him. After all, talking to the air would look suspicious. “What brings you here?”   
  
Despite not looking at the now-familiar demon, he could feel his sharp grin. He’d already known the answer to that question before the shorter boy could even open his mouth, of course.

“Your soul, duh! Come on, hand it over!”    
  
“No.” He replied simply.

  
“Aww, come onnn!” Kazuichi whined from behind him as he opened up his locker. “It’s been so long already! Aren’t you ready to give it up yet?”   
  
“It has been TWO weeks. Two weeks, Kazuichi.”   
  
“I know right?! That’s, like, a ridiculous amount of time! So, why don’tcha give it up so we can get this over with?”    
  
“For the last time, Sharp-Toothed one, I refuse. When will you get it through your head that I am powerful enough to resist your underworldly allure?” 

Gundham, taking his books in his hands, finally turned back to the demon, who looked a bit nervous now.    
  
“But there’s so much you could do… Come on, man, anything you want! What is it?”    
  
“What I’d  _ LIKE _ is to live peacefully,  _ WITHOUT _ handing over my power to some lowly imp, thank you very much.” The Overlord Of Ice replied simply, a faint trace of annoyance lacing his tone.

  
Kazuichi frowned, shoulders slumping. The taller boy pretended not to notice this, merely weaving his way into the crowd and walking to class.    
  
He knew the pink-haired boy would follow. After all, he always had. It was a routine developed easily, a mere night after summoning him. 

  
Despite the demon’s initial confusion, it seemed as though he knew what he was doing now. At first, the jumpsuit-clad student seemed almost vulnerable, just as alarmed and confused as Gundham had felt when seeing him for the first time. This DID make sense to some degree, of course. After all, he’d supposedly only died an hour before he was summoned. 

But this faux-innocence quickly faded. Soon, a more confident demeanor emerged, and the demon began trying to coax the breeder into giving up his soul. It was almost disturbing how instinctual the action seemed to be, such unnerving things said with ease.

  
Nevertheless, Gundham remained unperturbed. At least, he did on the outside. Internally, though, he couldn’t help but wonder about the demon near-constantly.

  
It’d been a long time since he’d seen someone like himself. Although under unfortunate circumstances, it was certainly interesting to be able to interact with something besides a lowly human. 

  
But of course, he couldn’t let the weak imp know this. After all, if he did, he was sure he’d try to use it to his advantage. 

So, Gundham kept a blank expression as the demon soon caught up to him, floating easily to his side.

“Come on! You can have ANYTHING! There must be something. If a genie came along one day and said you could have anything in the world, what would you wish for?”   
  
“What kind of nonsensical scenario is that?” The taller of the two scoffed. “If you’re going to ask such a ridiculous question, you should at the very least  _ try _ to hide your mischievous intentions.” 

“But you MUST’VE wondered about it!” Kazuichi insisted childishly. 

“I swear on all seven circles of hell, this might just be one of the least interesting conversations I’ve had the displeasure of having. Tell me, do you do this on purpose? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to  _ irritate _ me into giving up my being.”

The figure beside him fell silent for a moment, only the chatter of the crowd filling Gundham’s ears. He ducked into class quietly, coat flowing behind him as he entered the quieter room.

“... That’s NOT your plan, is it…?” He questioned suspiciously, voice dropping to an even lower tone.

“S-Shut up! So what if it is?!” The pink haired boy replied defensively, tone switching to that of a child about to be chided. 

“ _ You CANNOT be serious _ . Tamer Of Automations,  _ what in the world _ would make you think  _ that  _ would be an effective strategy?! I swear, I don’t think any earthly irritation could warrant such grave action!”    
  
“W-Well, what else am I supposed to do?!” 

“How should I know?! I’ve never had to attempt to take away a person’s very identity, thank you very much! And yet even  _ I _ know what an ineffective plan that is!” 

“You know what, you have no idea what it’s like being like this, s-so shut your mouth!” Kazuichi huffed, embarrassed. “I’m gonna go bug Sonia instead…”    
  
“This won’t work on HER either.”    
  
“Sh-Shut up!” 

Gundham let out an irritated sigh, and without another word, watched the demon phase through the wall, presumably to go to Sonia’s class. 

Yes, the little imp was certainly… Irritating, to say the least. But certainly not irritating enough to warrant the loss of his soul. Besides, he still couldn’t help but be curious about the demon. After all, this type of encounter was certainly a unique one… Not often did he see demons not yet corrupted by the forces of the underworld.   
  
So, when he was certain no one was left to pay attention to him, he couldn’t help but release a low, mirthful chuckle.    
  
Annoying or no, this would certainly become interesting.

  
  
  


**…**

As the weeks wore on, routine was beginning to settle back into the lives of the students at Hope’s Peak. 

Gundham and Sonia quickly became used to their new lives. Hajime, while at first being rather weary of the otherworldly being he’d witnessed, slowly began to grow more comfortable and just be grateful that it wasn’t him who’d summoned Kazuichi, and remained as a disgruntled bystander. And Kazuichi only remained as persistent as ever.

  
But another oddity was soon called to Gundham’s attention. He’d began to notice that the incessant chatter of the mortals around him was beginning to return to its regular volume. And when he’d noticed this, he had to take a moment to remember why it’d quieted in the first place.

And that lead to a startling conclusion.

  
People were starting to forget about Kazuichi.

The school had held a mournful energy for the first few days after the pink haired boy’s death. Low murmuring and talk about how “close” everyone was to him ensued. But now, it seemed people were all-too-ready to move on.

For some reason, the Overlord Of Ice couldn’t help but feel bothered by this. If these mortals were all so close to the mechanic, how could they seem to forget him so quickly?   
  
Thinking back on it, when he’d passed through the halls with the demon before, he’d seemed uncomfortable. Whenever he’d pass by someone talking about him, he’d cringe. When they’d pass the memorial the school had made for him in the main isle, his shoulders would hunch in. And when he’d notice someone adding a flower to it or some other tribute, an anxious, sad expression would cross his face.

Kazuichi had seemed particularly uncomfortable and saddened as of late, as a matter of fact. The Overlord Of Ice couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned, almost worried for the demonic boy… But that couldn’t be the case, right?

  
Nevertheless, the message was clear now. Hardly anyone had _ actually  _ been deeply affected by his passing.

The revelation was a disturbing one, certainly. To know that no one had deeply cared for the energetic ball of neon color floating around his sides… It frustrated him.   
  
Truly, the humans here were worthless. 

But he supposed he couldn’t help that. 

  
Still, whenever he crossed the halls with Kazuichi, a small ache would echo quietly in his chest. 

  
If no one here would remember the pink-haired boy, that couldn’t be helped, he supposed. But at the very least,  _ he’d _ make sure to remember him. After all, it was hard not to when he was talking your ear off on a daily basis. 

Speaking of which, he should probably listen to what the demon was saying now. After all, it could be important. So, walking down the halls with the jumpsuit-clad being at his side, he slowly tuned into whatever he was rambling on about now.

“-So I told her that she was being stupid, right? Because seriously dude, all I did was bump into her! But she went on about how I should watch my back or whatever. Dunno. Point is, I never got to see what’d end up coming of that, but ah well. Maybe it’s better I didn’t. Hey, you don’t think she called a hit on me, do ya?”   
  
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.”    
  
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I mean, kid looked like she was like 12, no way she coulda managed that.” 

Gundham only nodded in reply. He hadn’t heard the full story, but he figured he had the gist of it. Nevertheless, Kazuichi grinned to him, sharp teeth gleaming gratefully. 

A moment of silence passed between the two. It almost seemed peaceful for a moment, the chatter of the hallways providing a steady white noise. 

“... So, do you believe in, like… Ghosts?”    
  
“... Kazuichi, look at yourself.” He deadpanned in reply.

  
“What?! No, I’m a demon, there’s a difference! I mean ghosts! Like, wandering soul types!”    
  
“You mean the haunt your dwelling and attempt to convice you to make clearly idiotic choices types?”    
  
“Yeah, like- Wait, hey!” Kazuichi gasped, sounding offended.

  
Gundham let out a low laugh, disbelieving. An embarrassed, slightly angered look came across the demon’s face, but Gundham wasn’t intimidated. He knew by now that he was practically powerless to do anything to him.   
  
He opened his mouth, likely about to go on another long rant, but Gundham held up a hand, interrupting him before he’d even begun.

  
“To answer your question, yes.” He murmured lowly. “I figured you would’ve understood by now that I’ve been interacting with the occult for quite some time.”    
  
“Ah, y-yeah, you’re right…” Kazuichi sighed, defeated. 

“Did you believe in such supernatural entities before you became on yourself, Tamer Of Automations?”    
  
“I-I dunno… I mean, I never really thought much a-about that… Pretty hard to deny it now, though.” 

Gundham only hummed in acknowledgement. They walked through the rest of the hall silently. 

Soon, they reached the dormitories. Kazuichi, luckily, never followed him into his room. Yet as he closed the door, he could almost swear he saw the demon looking to the ground with a saddened, vulnerable expression.

  
  


**…**

Kazuichi Souda was in a strange situation, one he’d never have been able to imagine himself being in before it’d happened. And yet, as he lay awake on his old dorm bed, he couldn’t help but feel content with his new routine. Comfortable, even. Why?   
  
He was dead. Legitimately dead. No-turning-back dead. Cold, empty, and lifeless.

  
But he hadn’t  _ forgotten _ that, no. In fact, it’d only grown more and more obvious. He was beginning to find that he wasn’t blinking anymore. He’d spent a fair amount of time staring at the slowly deteriorating memorial of himself lately, and he’d pretty quickly realized that his imaginary staring contests were going on far longer than they should.

And yet when he’d break away, alarmed, his eyes wouldn’t sting. Instead, blinking did nothing to him, merely being an instinct. And every day, he seemed somehow colder, becoming more and more aware of how he’d been failing to generate body heat.   
  
Curled up under his blanket now, he didn’t feel himself getting any cozier. He wasn’t transparent now, he knew that; He’d made himself tangible here. But yet, the blankets remained cool. And thinking of all this, growing anxious, he wasn’t feeling any fluttering. No, his heart was still dead silent. 

And worse of all, he was beginning to get used to it. 

He didn’t WANT to get used to it.   
  
He didn’t WANT to forget what being alive is like. 

So, he wasn’t sleeping, obviously. No, there was no way he’d be able to fall unconscious with these kinds of thoughts in his head. But he already knew he wouldn’t feel tired the next day, even if he’d stay up all night. Just another grim reminder of his new reality. The reality that he wasn’t human anymore. 

He let out a choked sound, unable to bear his twisting, terror-filled thoughts anymore. Frustrated, he covered up his eyes with both hands, letting out a desperate, guttural noise.

  
It was only when his eyes were covered when he realized he’d been staring a hole into the ceiling. Unblinking. 

His shoulders began to shake. He couldn’t take this anymore. He had to distract himself somehow.

  
So, thinking for a moment, he decided what to do. There was only one thing he really COULD do, at this point. TV wouldn’t work, it’d just remind him of the staring. He couldn’t work on his mechanics, the metal being as cold as his skin was too unsettling to bear at the moment. So, all he could think to do was torment his summoners.   
  
Well, it’d be annoying to them, at the very least. And pestering them was his job now, apparently.

  
But which one to target…?   
  
… Well, it’d be rude to disturb a girl when she’s alone in her room. That’d be an intrusion of privacy.   
  
So Gundham it was, then. He’d seen the other boy’s room before, so it’d probably be fine for him to go back, right? Right.

So, without bothering to make himself transparent, he phased through the wall, floating through Hope’s Peak’s abandoned halls. Finally, he made his way to the familiar dorm number of Gundham’s room.    
  
He’d known where it was, of course; He’d followed the breeder here before. But never had he tried to actually go inside, no. He’d merely walk here with the boy after classes, and once he was home, he’d leave him be.

Standing outside now, though… It made him a bit nervous.

  
It SHOULDN’T, he was a demon. He should be poised, confident. He shouldn’t care whether he was intruding on the other’s space. But…

  
… Well, he didn’t wanna be RUDE…

But he was a demon. Manners should be the least of his concerns! And yet, he couldn’t seem to force his legs to move.

  
After a long moment, Kazuichi sighed to himself. He was GOING to get in there. So, deciding on a compromise with himself, he raised a fist.

Gently, he knocked on the door. 

… This was stupid. Utterly ridiculous.   
  
He was a demon. And he was knocking on the door of the person who’s soul he was supposed to steal. Unbelievable. He probably wasn’t even awake! Why had he decided to come here, anyw-

The door slowly creaked open, a tired looking red eye meeting his on the other side.

… Oh.

  
“Sharp Toothed One?” Gundham’s low, gravelly voice murmured to him. A shiver racked the demon’s spine. “What brings you here?” 

“O-Oh, well, I, uh…” He stuttered, wringing his clawed hands. “... I couldn’t sleep…”    
  
Gundham only stared blankly at him in return. Kazuichi couldn’t help but feel stupid for a moment.

Why’d he decided this was a good idea?    
  
“... Follow me.” The breeder sighed.   
  
Wait, what?   
  
The taller boy turned away from the door, walking deeper into his dorm room. A pair of pink eyes watched him, reluctant, before the boy who they belonged to slowly floated inside, the door shutting behind him with a gentle click.

Hearing this, Gundham still didn’t turn to face him, instead stepping into a small kitchen and rummaging through the cabinets. Kazuichi’s eyes shifted awkwardly, before landing on the couch.

  
Slowly, he made his way over, and dropped down onto it with a thud. Even still, the breeder didn’t face him.

  
A long, uncomfortable silence ensues, Kazuichi on the soft cushions of the sofa and Gundham doing who-knows-what in the kitchen. All the while, the demon asked himself the same question again and again.   
__   
_ “Why did I come here? I’m so stupid.”  _ __   
  
He ended up getting so lost in his winding thoughts that he almost didn’t notice when Gundham finally sat down beside him. Two mugs of liquid were in his hands, steaming.

“Wha-” Kazuichi began, but was interrupted when an arm gestured towards him, holding out one of the cups. Tea. It was full of tea.

Reluctant, the demon gently took the cup into his hands, taking a slow sip. The heated liquid slowly drained from the mug, and he felt a warmth blossoming inside of himself. Warm, warm, warm… When was the last time his insides felt warm? 

“... What ails you, Tamer Of Automations?”    
  
“Wh-What?”   
  
“Why is it that you cannot sleep?” 

The shorter of the two paused, hesitating. A slow, hushed murmur escaped his lips, heavy and sad. 

  
“... I can’t feel warm anymore.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“I don’t have body heat, I don’t have a heartbeat, h-hell, I don’t even need to blink! I-I don’t feel alive anymore!” Kazuichi nearly wailed out, frustrated. “I-I don’t wanna forget what it was like being a hu-human…”    
  
All fell silent for a long, tense moment. Gundham’s eyes were more alert now, staring at him with shock. What time was it? Had he been asleep before Kazuichi came? It didn’t matter. 

He felt cold, colder now. The heat of the tea felt long gone by now, and only an emptiness remained.

“... Demons can overtake one’s vessel, can they not?”    
  
“What? You mean, like, p-possession? I mean, yeah, but why-” Gundham was staring intently now. A course of shock pulsed through Kazuichi’s body, eyes widening. “W-Wait, what are you trying to imply?!” 

“I could help you.” Gundham shrugged, almost seeming nonchalant. His eyes, though, were calculating and cool. “I already know you cannot harm my mortal form by now. If you promise not to try anything, I suppose I could let you use it.”    
  
“W-Why?! Why would you trust me w-with that?!” The pink haired boy exclaimed, disbelieving.

  
“... I cannot help but wonder what it feels like. You’re a curious creature, Kazuichi. I don’t have much grasp on what powers you may possess, so it may be interesting to find out. Besides, you seem… Distraught.”    
  
All fell quiet. The shorter boy was speechless. How much did Gundham trust him to be able to do this? Why was he so certain nothing would go wrong? Was he just tired and not thinking straight?

… But no matter what the case was, the offer was alluring. To appealing to refuse.   
  
Kazuichi had to know. Kazuichi had to feel again.    
  
“A-Alright…”    
  
“Before you do this, promise me.”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
“Promise me you will not harm me if I allow this.” Gundham stated, holding out a hand.   
  
Oh. Oh, of course. He was a demon. He couldn’t break any deal he made, even if it wasn’t for a soul. No wonder the breeder had been so trusting.

So, feeling a bit more certain about the situation, Kazuichi slowly reached out and took Gundham’s hand, shaking it firmly. 

“... So, now what?” The bandage-clad male asked.   
  
“I-I dunno…I guess I just… Uhh…” Kazuichi murmured, unsure of how to explain his intent. So, without further warning, he slowly phased his arm into Gundham’s.

  
In unison, the two gasped. The taller of the two visibly shivered, seeming unnerved by the sensation.

  
Kazuichi, though, was speechless once more. 

Warmth. Warmth, warmth, warmth.

  
“Is… Is this okay?” He asked, feeling a need to make sure the other didn’t want to back out of this, no matter how desperately he wanted it. 

“Yes… It feels a bit unsettling, but I suppose I can manage that. You may proceed…” The Ultimate Breeder replied, seeming a bit cautious. His shoulders tensed, preparing himself.   
  
So, without further adieu, Kazuichi slowly merged his body with Gundham’s.

  
An electric sensation ran through him, and a deep shudder racked the boy’s spine. Slowly, it faded, and Kazuichi opened his eyes- When had they shut, anyway?   
  
Immediately, he was overwhelmed with color. Vision. Slowly looking down to himself, he saw a familiar and yet oh-so-foriegn form. A form that wasn’t his.

  
Gundham.    
  
In the back of his mind, he could still feel the other boy’s presence, deep and solid and calming. But that didn’t matter now. What mattered was the feeling enveloping him.

Warmth. Warm, heated blood pulsed through his entire being. He could feel Gundham’s, his, hands shaking. A heartbeat. A pounding, frantic heartbeat was resting in the left side of his chest, only growing faster as it was noticed. His eyes were beginning to sting with salt. 

Alive. This was it. This was what being alive again felt like.

Pulsing, overwhelming, solid.

  
Beautiful.

Unrestrained, Kazuichi began to sob. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Well! This was probably really poorly paced, but I really wanted to get it out, so... I hope you enjoy nonetheless? I'm probably not gonna update this for, like, another two years, but at least I got it out for Halloween.


End file.
